The Struggle for the RTP
feltEditor’s Note: This reflection was written by a student in the Introduction to Journalism class I teach. I think his ideas on the struggle for the RTP or “Ready to Publish” are a universal part of writing life. What do you think?
By Will Hesslink
“I found that editing can be useful, but it can also be challenging.”
One very important part of publishing and writing is editing.
“I found it difficult to have multiple opinions on my pieces, because each person who read it had their own ideas about how to improve it.”
But, in my own work, I found it difficult to have multiple opinions on my pieces. Each person who read my piece had their own ideas about how to improve it.
At times, the ideas and suggestions were not the same. When that happened, I found it hard to edit because I had to find a middle ground. I needed to consolidate everyone’s ideas for making it better. I also found it hard to listen to other’s suggestions when I felt they did not understood what I was trying to say. Similarly, sometimes, they wanted to change how I was presenting information.
“The …problem is picking which advice to take, and which to ignore. People have different opinions and it can be tough to choose which one fits better depending on how it flows with the rest of the article.”
However, editing must be done to publish an article or turn in any paper for school.
The only problem with editing is picking which advice to take, and which to ignore. People have different opinions, and it can be tough to choose which advice fits better. Often, it depends on how a person’s advice flows with the rest of the article.
Thus, in my experience with multiple editors this semester, I have discovered how tough it can be to juggle people’s edits, try to make everybody happy, and have the article still flow well.
What are your tips on listening to feedback? Post them below in the comments, or give my company a call so we can discuss the ways you are incorporating feedback in your writing.
